Last season the New York Giants suffered their first losing season since 2004 and regardless if the bad season was the result of “the Super Bowl jinx” or not, you knew that changes would be on the horizon for Big Blue during the off-season. Longtime Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride “retired” and he was replaced by former Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Ben McAdoo. New York has also seen a drastic roster overhaul as all of these changes have been under the guidance of Giants general manager Jerry Reese.
Reese has worked with the Giants organization for 21 years and he has seen the best and worst of times and now he is looking for some more good times. Since Reese was promoted to being the Giants general manager in 2007, he has helped the organization win two Super Bowl Championships and he appears to be hell bent on winning a third. The National Football League is a copycat league and Reese is taking a page from the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks this off-season which is developing competition and depth at every position.
Last season the Giants finished 28th overall in total offense. The Giants only had three games in which a running back gained more than 100 yards rushing last season. Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw 27 interceptions last season which led the NFL and he was also sacked 39 times which was a career-high for the former first overall pick. Manning is 33-years of age and he is also coming off of ankle surgery which is why Reese signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman to be his backup this week.
The game of football is won in the trenches and Reese has begun to work on improving the Giants offensive line. Longtime Giants offensive tackle David Diehl retired after 11 seasons in New York. Guard Kevin Boothe was allowed to leave via free agency and subsequently he signed with the Oakland Raiders. Last month Reese cut center David Baas who spent the last three seasons with the Giants. Diehl, Boothe, and Baas are all in their 30’s and Reese set out to make the Giants younger on the offensive line. So far the Giants have signed former Miami Dolphins guard John Jerry and former Denver Broncos center J.D. Walton who are both 27-years of age.
The Giants were 29th last season in rushing offense which coincided with three offensive lineman finishing the season on injured reserve. But Reese is attempting to restore the Giants running game as he re-signed running back Peyton Hillis along with signing former Raiders running back Rashad Jennings as the two are expected to team with running back David Wilson who is recovering from neck surgery which limited him to only five games last year.
After helping the Giants win the Super Bowl in 2011, wide receiver Hakeem Nicks took a huge step backwards during the past two seasons which is why Reese allowed him to leave as a free agent this winter which led to him signing with the Indianapolis Colts. After languishing with the San Francisco 49ers for the past two seasons, wide receiver Mario Manningham is returning to the Giants. Manningham returns to the Giants to team with wide receivers Victor Cruz and Reuben Randle who will give the Giants a good combination of size and speed at the receiver position.
Reese has also addressed the Giants glaring needs on special teams as he signed former Broncos kick/punt returner Trindon Holliday who has four returns for touchdowns in the past two seasons.
The biggest move that Reese made so far this off-season for the Giants was when he was able to re-sign middle linebacker Jon Beason to a three-year deal worth $19 million. The Giants acquired Beason last season from the Carolina Panthers for a seventh-round pick in next month’s NFL Draft. When Beason arrived in New York last season, the Giants defense was in disarray, but he helped to guide a unit that finished 2013 8th in total defense.
On paper the Giants roster has improved and it should only get better during next month’s NFL Draft. Since taking over as the Giants general manager, Reese has become one of the best general manager’s on draft weekend as far as finding talent. The Giants 2007 draft produced players such as running back Ahmad Bradshaw, cornerback Aaron Ross, and long snapper Zak DeOssie who were key in the Giants winning Super Bowl Championships in 2007 and 2011. In the 2010 NFL Draft, Reese used the Giants first two selections on defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and defensive tackle Linval Joseph who were starters for the Giants in Super Bowl 46.
The Giants will have a different look under head coach Tom Coughlin for the upcoming season, but if there is one man in the NFL that is more than capable of getting this motley crew to work as a cohesive unit it is him. At 67-years of age Coughlin is the current elder statesman of NFL head coaches. But in spite of his age and his reputation as being a tough head coach, he is still able to get his message across to the players who would run through a wall for him.
In order to contend with the Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East, the Giants needed to improve in every facet of the game this off-season which is what has attempted to do. Reese is showing us this off-season that the Giants will not take losing lying down.
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